Caucus of Women Legislators

ROOM 460 STATE HOUSE BOSTON 02133 617 722 2266

1st Quarter 2010 Caucus Celebrates 35th with Exhibit comed its first woman, Sybil State House Library. It will re- Holmes. Both were Republi- main on display until June 11th. SAVE THE cans. Senate President Murray and Decades later, after many the Caucus Chairs spoke at the DATE! more firsts, a group of female unveiling of the exhibit. They Representatives formed the were joined by current and for-

Caucus of Women Legislators mer legislators who contributed Girl Power on the Hill in 1975. In its thirty-fifth anni- compelling personal anecdotes Massachusetts Girl Former legislators Suzanne Bump versary year, the Caucus has about their experiences in poli- Scouts (l) and Lois Pines peruse the exhibit grown to over 25% of the Leg- tics and government. Former April 21st islature and has one of its own, legislators in attendance included In 1923, for the first time in the the esteemed Senate President Senator Lois Pines, Senator Commonwealth’s history, Mas- Therese Murray of Plymouth, Carol Amick, Representative Pay Equity Forum sachusetts did not have an all- presiding in the Senate. Suzanne Bump, Representative April 15th male Legislature. Three years These facts and more are Susan Rourke and Representa- 11:00, Room 222 with Dr. Evelyn Murphy after women won the right to featured in a special exhibit tive Anne Paulsen. vote, two women won seats in created by the State House Li- Several legislators’ biogra- the House of Representatives. brary, Special Collections and phies and memorabilia are in- Dr. Judith Wurtman The first woman to hold a the Massachusetts Caucus of cluded as part of the exhibit. MIT Nutritionist Committee Chair in the Massa- Women Legislators in a col- Senate President Therese May 11th chusetts Legislature was Repre- laborative effort to mark the Murray, Senator Patricia Jehlen, sentative Mary Livermore Nor- Caucus’ 35th anniversary and Representative Alice Wolf, for- ris Barrows of Melrose. She Women’s History month. mer Senators Carol Amick and was appointed to head the Joint The History of Women in Lois Pines, and former Repre- Committee on Pensions and Massachusetts Politics opened sentatives Barbara Gray, Marie Inside this issue: Old Age Assistance in 1935. on March 3rd during the anni- Howe and Mary Jeanette Murray

Two years later, the Senate wel- versary celebration outside the are all featured in the display. CO-CHAIRS MESSAGE 2 JAMES REVIEWS RULES 165 & COUNTING... 2 HARASSMENT LAW 3 The Caucus of Women Leg- James reviewed the rules of The event was well attended islators sponsored an informa- debate on the House floor as by legislators and staff, includ- tional session on the rules of the well as special rules pertaining to ing Caucus members Represen- MODR WORKSHOP 3 House of Representatives on the budget. He went on to stress tative Alice K. Wolf (D- February 9th with House Clerk the tradition of uniformity, clar- Cambridge), Representative MCGOVERN HONORED 4 Steven T. James. ity, and efficiency, explaining (D-Amherst), and Elected Clerk in 1999 after the reasoning behind both ar- Representative Rosemary serving with the House of Rep- chaic and more recent imple- Sandlin (D-Agawam). The CAUCUS INTERNS 4 resentatives since 1964, James mentations. During the forum, Caucus extends its thanks to has seen numerous changes and James affirmed that, “The most Mr. James for his effort spent in AWARDS 5 has a thorough knowledge of successful legislators are those preparation for the highly infor- the history of the House. who know the rules.” mative seminar. Caucus of Women Legislators A Message from the Co-Chairs Dear Colleagues, Staff and Friends,

The initial months of 2010 have borne progress on many fronts but have also under- scored considerable challenges. The economic downturn continues to affect our con- stituents, our communities, and every aspect of our work here in the State House. As we know, women are disproportionately impacted by the recession, and the most vulner- Senator Patricia D. Jehlen (D- able are hit the hardest. Somerville) and Representative Alice K. Wolf (D-Cambridge) We not only face continuing economic distress but also the potential for fewer women in the House and the Senate in the next session than have served in the past decade. The loss of the experience and wisdom of our friends and colleagues will be sorely felt as we struggle to meet short- term needs without sacrificing long-term stability. We encourage you to run for a seat, and will be here for support. As we approach the end of the session, the Legislature has taken on education reform, harassment protection, safe driving and bullying in our schools. Yet to be considered, however, is legislation correcting pay inequities for women in the Commonwealth. For every dollar made by a man in this country, a woman doing the same work – if she’s lucky – makes seventy-eight cents. Please join us at our Pay Equity Forum on April 15th here at the State House; it’s time that we did something about it. The Caucus takes pride in remaining at the forefront of addressing those issues which disparately impact women. Thank you, friends and colleagues, for your continuing support of our endeavors.

Sincerely, Senator Patricia D. Jehlen and Representative Alice K. Wolf Co-Chairs, Women's Legislative Caucus 165 & COUNTING... 165 and Therese Murray (D- Plymouth) with an Counting, jointly opportunity to honor recently elected hosted by Senate women legislators of this session amongst President their colleagues, as well as the former Therese Murray women legislators in attendance, while and the Massa- introducing the leadership of the Caucus. chusetts Caucus Speaking from the Senate rostrum, Cau- of Women Legis- cus Co-Chairs Senator Patricia D. Jehlen Sen. Patricia Jehlen address- ing former legislators in the lators, was held (D- Somerville) and Representative Alice Senate Chamber with Senate to honor current K. Wolf (D- Cambridge) praised the many President Therese Murray and former fe- former women legislators in attendance for and House Speaker Robert DeLeo male legislators their unyielding integrity and pioneering of the Common- spirits that paved the way for today’s wealth on the evening of January 13th. women legislators. (l-r) Rep. (D-Newton), Rep. Alice Wolf (D-Cambridge) & Former Sen. Shannon The event, held in the historic Senate Speaker of the House Robert A. DeLeo O’Brien Reading Room at the State House, (D- Winthrop) joined the Senate President brought together over thirty former and Caucus as a special guest for the eve- women legislators and most of those cur- ning. DeLeo spoke passionately on the President’s office, Senator Jehlen’s office, rently serving. importance of women’s leadership within Representative Wolf’s office, Representa- Since the establishment of the Massa- government. tive Fox’s office and Representative Pro- chusetts Legislature in 1630, a total of The Caucus exclusively employed vost’s office. Their efforts on behalf of 165 women have been elected to serve. women-owned businesses for the occasion. the Caucus were greatly appreci- The reunion provided Senate President Special thanks goes to staff in the Senate ated. Page 2 Caucus of Women Legislators Harassment Prevention Enacted roommate or spouse. Until now, legislation was the product of around 66% of stalking and har- countless hours of pro bono assment victims were not covered assistance from top attorneys at by the law since they did not qual- Boston’s Mintz, Levin, Cohn, IN A VICTORY ify for protection under G.L. c. Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo PC, FOR 209A. and discussions with law en- “This legislation will ensure forcement, the defense bar, Dis- HARASSMENT that a broader range of harassment trict Attorneys and judges to VICTIMS AND victims are protected from poten- ensure maximum rights’ protec- tially dangerous and threatening tions. LAW Gov. Deval Patrick receives the signing individuals and circumstances, “A large number of people pen from Sen. Harriette Chandler. Rep. ENFORCEMENT looks on (far right). while at the same time ensuring from both sides of the aisle and we have protections in the system from all different sectors came OFFICIALS On February 9th, Governor Deval to prevent misuse or abuse of the together to refine this sensitive STATE-WIDE, Patrick signed into law An Act to law,” said Chandler. and complex legislation,” said Prevent Harassment, sponsored by After being engrossed in the Representative Cory Atkins, the VICTIMS OF Senator Harriette Chandler (D- Senate in late 2009, Representa- lead co-sponsor in the HARASSMENT Worcester). It was a victory for tive Cory Atkins fought for the House. “I am proud of our col- harassment victims and law en- bill’s passage in the House. She laborative efforts to expand NOW HAVE THE forcement officials state-wide. was successful; the House unani- restraining order law and pro- The new law allows victims of mously passed it on January 28th. vide much-needed protection ABILITY TO FILE harassment to file criminally en- The bill was almost a decade in for victims, and I thank every- CRIMINALLY forceable protection orders regard- the making and was supported by one who made this possible.” less of perpetrators’ relationships favorable testimony from House Massachusetts has once again ENFORCEABLE to them. Caucus Chair Representative Al- proven to be part of the fore- PROTECTION Previously, Massachusetts law ice K. Wolf (D- Cambridge) and front in the fight against domes- granted a victim of harassment a Representative Cory Atkins (D- tic violence. The enactment ORDERS protection order only if the perpe- Concord), as well as many other brings the Commonwealth in trator was someone with whom the members co-sponsoring the legis- line with 38 states that have victim had a substantial relation- lation. Final language for the harassment protection orders. ship, such as a family member, Did you know? There have been 10 victims of domestic violence related homicides in just the first three months of 2010

MODR Workshop on Public Collaboration

Susan Jeghelian, Director of the Massachusetts Office of Dispute ducing MODR as a neutral fo- Resolution and Public Collaboration (MODR), recently held a pilot rum and state level resource for workshop for Caucus members. MODR provides various services legislators to use in the resolu- that support collaborative governance and conflict management. tion of issues and detailing spe- The workshop increased legislators’ and staff’s understanding of cific resolution tools and assess- conflict resolution methods, and defined their potential roles as fa- ments that they were able to use cilitators in community collaborations. to address conflicts in their own th Rep. (D - Province- Representative Sarah Peake (4 Barnstable) and Representative town and Rep. Smitty Pignatelli (D- communities. Smitty Pignatelli (4th Berkshire) served as guest presenters, intro- Lenox) Page 3 Caucus of Women Legislators

CAUCUS HONORS MCGOVERN The Caucus of Women Legislators was privileged to pre- sent newly appointed Superintendent and Colonel of the Mas- sachusetts State Police Marian McGovern with a Joint Resolu- tion honoring her as the first woman to hold the position in the Commonwealth. Colonel McGovern was joined by Mary Beth Heffernan, the recently appointed Secretary of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, who was presented with a citation honoring her as the second woman to hold that position. McGovern, a 30 year veteran of the State Police, has achieved successes in every rank leading to her current posi- tion. She spent 20 years investigating homicides, robberies, assaults, child abuse and rapes as a Detective, as well as working undercover in an investigation of narcotic trading and organized crime. Her undercover work was influential in ar- resting a number of high profile organized crime figures. Enthusiasm for teaching led McGovern to be involved in training members of State, Local and Federal Law Enforce- ment agencies, as well as at numerous agencies and depart- ments in other states. While Deputy Commander of the State Police Academy, she established several changes to the Acad- emy in the academic field as well as the physical training arena. She graduated three recruit training classes which re- Pictured (l-r), Back Row: Rep. Vincent Pedone (D-Worcester), Rep. Joyce Spiliotis (D-Peabody), Rep. Sarah Peake (D-Provincetown), Rep. Mary Grant sulted in over 500 new State Troopers. (D-Beverly), Rep. Ellen Story (D-Amherst), Rep. Alice Wolf (D-Cambridge), Col. McGovern also played a vital role in the implementa- Sen. Patricia Jehlen (D-Somerville), Rep. (D-Somerville), tion of the Massachusetts AMBER Alert program. Due to her Sen. Michael Moore (D-Millbury), Rep. (D-Auburn) dedication and tireless efforts, Massachusetts has one of the Front Row: Rep. Kathi-Anne Reinstein (D-Revere), Sen. Karen Spilka (D- Ashland), Colonel Marian McGovern, Executive Office of Public Safety and most successful AMBER Alert programs in the nation. Security Secretary Mary Beth Heffernan, Rep. Elizabeth Malia (D-Jamaica Appointed in December 2009, Colonel McGovern was Plain), Rep. (D-Wellesley) sworn in by Governor Deval Patrick at the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts on January 14, 2010.

Caucus Interns Looking Ahead Congratulations to Juliet Schiff, for- Tara Bartley, a sophomore at Merri- mer Caucus intern, who started in mack College, joined the Caucus in Senator Robert O’Leary’s office on late January and will intern through March 15th as his Constituent Ser- May. A Bangor, Maine native, Tara vices Aide. Juliet graduated from is embarking upon a dual major in Emmanuel College in 2008 with a Political Science and Women and degree in English Literature and is Gender Studies with special interests in women’s issues, also a seasonal manager with the Red Sox. The Caucus public administration and health care. Her assistance thanks her for all of her hard work and wishes her all the best has been instrumental in the success of Caucus meetings in her new position! this quarter. Page 4 Caucus of Women Legislators Awards and Recognitions

Senator Joan Menard (D-Fall River) Representative Alice K. Wolf (D-Cambridge) was pre- was honored at the New England Board sented with a Certificate of Appreciation from the Ex- of Higher Education annual Excellence ecutive Office of Health and Human Services Depart- Awards dinner on Friday, March 5th for ment of Mental Health “in recognition of your unwaver- her commitment and support to NEBHE ing support for the rights of adults and children living and the advancement of higher education with mental illness to live and prosper in the City of overall. President and CEO Michael Tho- Cambridge and throughout the Commonwealth.” mas and New Hampshire State Senator Lou D'Alessandro presented Senator Menard with the On February 25, Representative Ellen Story award during the program. (D-Amherst) was honored by Watch Your Mouth and Health Care For All as one of this Senator Cynthia Stone Creem year’s Oral Health Heroes. She was honored (D-Newton), Senate Chair of the for her consistent advocacy for children’s oral Judiciary Committee, was pre- health, signing on to many great oral health sented with a Legislator of the bills, and testifying at several hearings to pro- Year award by the Massachusetts mote oral health causes. Bar Association at its recent annual On March 11, Representative Mary Grant (D- conference. Beverly) was honored by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, Department of Mental The Boston Area Rape Crisis Center Health by receiving a framed Certificate of Apprecia- th (BARCC) will hold their 5 Annual Walk tion, “In grateful acknowledgement of your exemplary for Change next month, a fundraiser that service on behalf of the citizens of the Commonwealth provides visible support to survivors and of Massachusetts with mental illness.” brings people committed to ending sexual violence together. In recognition of all At the annual Department of Mental Health’s the work done to ensure that An Act Rela- (DMH) Northeast Area Citizens Legislative Break- tive to Harassment Prevention Orders was signed into fast, Representative Katherine Clark (D- law, Representative Cory Atkins (D-Concord) will be Melrose), a sponsor and keynote speaker at the presented the Beacon Award in recognition of out- event, received an award from DMH and the Execu- standing leadership in advancing the rights of sexual vio- tive Office of Health and Human Service (EOHHS) lence survivors. for her exemplary service on behalf of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with men- Citizens for Public Schools have selected tal illness. The event brought together Northeast area legislators, site Representative Katherine Clark (D- directors, site board members, consumers, and providers as a way to Melrose) as Legislator of the Year in rec- highlight the important work being done by DMH. Clark is pictured ognition of her dedication and commit- at right with DMH Commissioner Barbara Leadholm. ment to education policy and public schools, schoolchildren, and teachers. On February 4, 2010 Representative Sarah K. Peake (D-Provincetown) was honored by the Massachusetts At the recent Deputy Sheriff’s Association Nursery & Landscape Association (MNLA) with their banquet at the Pleasant Valley Country 2009 Environmental Leadership Award. She was the Club, Representative Jennifer M. Calla- sole legislator to receive this award. In addition to the han (D-Sutton) was presented the “2010 framed award, a tree or bush will be planted in her Public Service Award” by Sheriff Guy honor at a location of her choosing. Glodis for her commitment to serving the Established in 1910, the Massachusetts Nursery & Landscape Asso- public and promoting charitable causes. ciation, Inc. (MNLA) is a nonprofit organization whose members are Glodis recognized Callahan for her advocacy efforts of businesses and individuals who are committed to promoting environ- key community service projects in the towns she repre- mental awareness and the highest standards of the Massachusetts sents. nursery and landscape industry. Cont’d p. 6 Page 5 CAUCUS OF WOMEN LEGISLATORS

MASSACHUSETTS LEGISL ATURE

CONTACT US: THE CAUCUS OF WOMEN LEGISLATORS IS A BIPARTISAN, BICAMERAL GROUP OF Jessica Leitz 617-722-2266 FEMALE LEGISLATORS, THE MISSION OF WHICH IS TO ENHANCE THE ECONOMIC [email protected] STATUS AND EQUALITY OF WOMEN AND TO ENCOURAGE AND FOSTER WOMEN IN

ALL BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT

2010 Co-Chairs

Senator Patricia D. Jehlen Representative Alice K. Wolf 2010 Annual Meeting Treasurer Caucus members unanimously re-elected Representative Katherine Clark Representative Katherine Clark as Treasurer Executive Director during the business portion of the meeting, as well as affirmed prior votes taken by poll over Jessica Leitz the course of the year. The Worcester Women’s History Project presented “Abby Kelley Foster” before the

House Members Senate Members meeting adjourned, a moving one-act rendition of the New England abolitionist’s letters and Willie Mae Allen Gale D. Candaras life. Cory Atkins Harriette L. Chandler Ruth B. Balser Sonia Chang-Diaz Cynthia Stone Creem Jennifer Callahan Susan C. Fargo Jennifer L Flanagan Christine E. Canavan Patricia D. Jehlen Senator Patricia D. Jehlen (D- Katherine Clark Joan M. Menard Cheryl A. Coakley- Therese Murray Somerville) and Representative Alice K. Rivera Karen E. Spilka Wolf (D-Cambridge) welcomed Caucus Geraldine Creedon Susan C. Tucker members to the 2010 Annual Meeting on Marian Walsh January 27th. The meeting, held in the Ann-Margaret Ferrante Members Lounge at the State House Linda Dorcena Forry Gloria L. Fox opened with the introduction of the key- Colleen M. Garry note speaker, Senate President Therese Susan W. Gifford Anne M. Gobi Murray. Murray provided a detailed out- Mary E. Grant line of the current session’s budget con- straints and offered informed predictions Patricia A. Haddad Lida E. Harkins for the coming legislative cycle. Legisla- tors in attendance hailed Murray’s candor Kay Khan Barbara A. L’Italien and expertise in response to pointed ques- Elizabeth A. Malia tions. Sarah Peake Alice H. Peisch Elizabeth A. Poirier Karyn E. Polito Awards and Recognitions cont’d Denise Provost Kathi-Anne Reinstein Representative Kay Khan (D-Newton) received a Partners in Permanency Pam Richardson Rosemary Sandlin Award from the Children’s Services of Roxbury for her contribution on working Joyce A. Spiliotis to achieve permanency for children across Massachusetts. Harriett L. Stanley Marie P. St. Fleur Ellen Story Representative Gloria Fox (D-Roxbury) received the Inspiring Leader Award Martha M. Walz Alice K. Wolf (Homes for Families) in January, the Gateway Leadership Award (Roxbury Community College) and Women’s Living Legend (Senior Care Program) in

March and was recently recognized as spokes person for (MARE) MA Adop- tion Resource Exchange.